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The age of Enlightenment and the Romantic Era were more than just philosophical ideas. They sparked revolutions, shaped politics, changed culture, influenced the arts and affected the church and its teaching. It was a time for revival of ancient Roman ideas in art, architecture and philosophy and a time for new beginnings in culture, industry and society. And people became concerned with personal experiences in their lives, especially those with God. The use of Enlightenment brought an artistic revival of Greek and Roman styles and the beginning of an interest in ordinary people. Enlightenment artists valued reason, but Romantic artists emphasized mysticism and cultural identity. Since neither the Church nor the state supported artists as they once had, artists felt little obligation to these authorities. Public concert halls and museums replaced the church as centers of artistic activity. During the Enlightenment, composers increasingly wrote for performance outside the Church. Their work reflected the ideal of democracy. They collected, unified, and harmonized many different ideas. The symphony and sonata exemplified this concept. Some composers specialized in miniatures while others wrote music of gigantic proportions. Some wrote for amateur performers while others greatly expanded the level
of difficulty. Performers occasionally even appeared to pursue virtuosity
for its own sake. The late 18th and early 19th century saw a general decline in the influence of the Church in society. Churches had to rely increasingly on amateurs for musical leadership, as skilled musicians preferred performing in salons and concert halls. As the Church's scholars and musicians rediscovered their musical and theological roots, a revival began that featured the Lutheran Reformation's extensive and magnificent musical tradition. By the end of the century that revival was well under way.
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